Idiots to Lovers (bxb)

34 | This Was Really Not My Fault

Everett

I gripped the base of the ladder tightly, staring up at Clementine painting the top half of the wall. He reached up to brush over a spot he had missed and his T-shirt rode up, revealing a sliver of pale skin disappearing into navy boxers. His jeans were slung low with no belt, slipping past his hip bone as he worked on the area just under the crown moulding. From my position behind the ladder I had a really good view of his...uh, of him.

"You don't really have to hold on to that, it's a stepladder." Clementine peered down at me through dark lashes. "And there are only five steps."

"No I need to stand right here!" I exclaimed. "What if you fall?"

"These steps are so wide, it's like standing on a staircase."

"It's kind of shaky though," I argued, experimentally trying to jostle the bottom of the stepladder.

The stupid thing didn't even budge.

The corner of Clementine's mouth lifted in a teasing smile. "If you say so," he murmured, his voice low. He cast a glance over his shoulder as he reached for the wall again, slower this time. More seductive.

I unconsciously leaned my elbows on the bottom rung as I gazed up at him, hypnotized. My weight shifted on to the same edge where Clementine stood. The ladder shook, losing its center of gravity.

It all happened in slow motion. The paint can balanced on the top step of the ladder wobbled and fell on its side, pouring slippery paint down the steps. Clementine slid and lost his footing, gasping sharply as he started to fall.

I thought I could catch him romantically. Like how Rumplestiltskin caught Belle when she fell from a ladder in 'Once Upon A Time.' I threw myself at the stepladder, arms reached out before me and heart full of bravado. I faceplanted on the side of the rung.

The ladder crashed to the ground, taking Clementine down with it. I tumbled to the floor, landing half on top of him. He groaned as he broke my fall, his side acting as a cushion for my knee.

The paintcan then fell over us to complete the series of unfortunate events.

We lay dazed on the floor, soaked in apple green paint. Clementine turned to me, purple eyes stunned and hazy. His voice sounded like the all the breath had been knocked out of him. "Why did you do that?"

"I was trying to catch you."

"But I wasn't falling," he said in bewilderment.

"But the- the paint spilled and you looked like you were going to slip on it."

"I managed to balance myself though...and then you flung yourself into the ladder."

"Oh." I paused, shifting my elbow away from where it was currently pressing into Clementine's ribs. "In retrospect, I don't really know what I was thinking."

"Everett." His voice was light with disbelief. "You are going to be the death of me."

"I haven't caused you to fall that many times," I protested. "It was only this and the tree."

"There are other ways to die," he reminded me. "Reckless driving, kitchen fires...."

"The kitchen fire was your fault!"

Clementine laughed, turning on his side. His arm snaked around my waist, pulling me closer till we were face to face. "Let's just agree it was a joint venture."

Amethyst eyes glittered from under dark lashes. The chocolate brown hair that fell over his face was streaked with clumps of hardened paint. I imagined he would be cursing me later in the shower trying to wash it off—but right now he was smiling softly, brushing his thumb over my paint splattered cheek.

I closed the space between us till my lips were on his. He smelled like fresh paint and moonbeams. And yes, I realized that moonbeams didn't have a smell, but I was too far gone by then to care. All rational thought left my mind as Clementine started moving against me.

His T-shirt was damp with paint, sticking to his body like a second skin. I could feel every contour of his body, the heartbeat jumping through his ribs. It slammed against my chest in the same rhythm as mine, till I lost all sense of whose heart belonged to who.

His knee slipped between mine as he pressed me to the floor. Heat rushed down my body as I pulled him closer, unconsciously grinding up against him. He was stronger than I expected, his bicep tightening around me. I made a soft sound as his teeth grazed against my bottom lip.

"Are you okay?" he murmured against mouth, his voice almost incoherent.

"Uhuhm, yeah," I managed to get out, disoriented by the stream of light now falling over my face. It was a bright and garish, cruelly replacing the soft, chocolate brown locks that had been brushing against my forehead just a moment earlier.

"Umm." Clementine looked like he was flushing, though it was hard to tell from under all the paint layering his face. "I wanted to ask you out...."

"Out?" I asked in some confusion. I'd thought we were already dating.

"There's uh- a fair in town," he stammered, "I just thought it would be fun to go...like together...." His face was definitely red beneath the green paint. He looked very Christmassy.

The confusion cleared as I remembered that my boyfriend was an idiot—the hot making out had almost made me forget.

"Oh, you just mean on a date." I fake sighed, propping myself up on my elbows. "I thought you were finally asking me to be your boyfriend."

"No I wasn't!"

"That's too bad."

"I mean we're- because we're already—" Clementine blushed furiously down to his neck, half crimson and half apple green. I badly wanted to tell him he looked like a Christmas elf, but I thought he might have an apoplexy.

"Fair sounds fun." I smiled, leaning forwards to press my lips to his. "Love you."

"...Love you too."

A/n: Just saw this on Pinterest but it looks so much like Clementine lol

Like if you just feel bad for him at this point... Everett is lowkey torturing him xD